From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordĒlektron denotes amber here, although the word can have other material senses in other contexts.
- In StobaeusThe Timaeus groups amber’s apparent attraction with that of lodestones and denies that these effects involve a pulling force.
- In this edition“Amber” is required by the context of attraction; do not substitute a metal alloy.
- A place to beginAmber’s apparent attraction is named and then given a non-pulling explanation.
- English renderings
- amber
Meaning
Ēlektron denotes amber here, although the word can have other material senses in other contexts.
Use in the book
The Timaeus groups amber’s apparent attraction with that of lodestones and denies that these effects involve a pulling force. The following explanation invokes displacement and movements of bodies in a world without void. Amber is an example requiring explanation, not evidence that the speaker accepts attraction as a basic force.
Places to read
- I.60.1.14Amber’s apparent attraction is named and then given a non-pulling explanation.
Translation in this edition
“Amber” is required by the context of attraction; do not substitute a metal alloy.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 501. The Heraclean stones named beside amber are lodestones. The passage distinguishes the observed effect from the mechanism it rejects.